


In My Crowded Brain, You're In Uppercase

by DaintyDuck_99



Series: Everybody Lives AU [3]
Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV 2020)
Genre: Bisexual Reggie Peters (Julie and The Phantoms), Boys Kissing, Dating, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Implied/Referenced Sexual Harassment, Jealousy, M/M, Making Out, Multi, OT3, Pansexual Luke Patterson (Julie and The Phantoms), Polyamory, Protective Reggie Peters (Julie and The Phantoms), Reggie Peters Has ADHD (Julie and The Phantoms), Self-Defense, mild physical violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-14 04:16:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29786325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaintyDuck_99/pseuds/DaintyDuck_99
Summary: Deja vu engulfs Reggie as they settle into a booth, with Julie on his left and Luke on his right, startlingly familiar and warm like his leather jacket.“Why am I always in the middle?” he ponders out loud.Luke plucks at Reggie’s sleeve in response, and Julie giggles, grabbing his hands to rub some circulation into them.“You always get so cold, honey,” she explains, dark eyes dancing with fondness.Julie, Reggie, and Luke go on their first official date where they're all together. Things are pretty good, except for the part where a scummy stranger assumes that one of them is third-wheeling. This is part of a series, but it can be read as a stand-alone.
Relationships: Julie Molina/Luke Patterson, Julie Molina/Luke Patterson/Reggie Peters, Julie Molina/Reggie Peters, Luke Patterson/Reggie Peters (Julie and The Phantoms)
Series: Everybody Lives AU [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2138301
Comments: 14
Kudos: 82





	In My Crowded Brain, You're In Uppercase

**Author's Note:**

> Content Warning: There's a line that's homophobic and racist towards the end (the guy gets comeuppance though). Just a heads up!
> 
> [goodluckgettingtosleep](https://archiveofourown.org/users/goodluckgettingtosleep/pseuds/goodluckgettingtosleep) was kind enough to look over this for me, please go check out her JatP fics if you haven't! <3

Reggie practically vibrates with excitement in the passenger seat. He can’t help it! Luke spares him a smile before diverting his attention back to the road. 

He seems to have a sixth sense for when Reggie itches to switch the radio station—without looking, Luke swats his hand away from the dial for the fifth or sixth time. 

“You’re not allowed to be so handsome and hog my stereo at the same time,” Reggie teases.

Luke meets his gaze in the mirror, eyebrows raised. The navy shirt he’s wearing lends his eyes a stormier blue hue than usual, but he’s gorgeous, as always. 

Reggie can’t wait to see what Julie looks like. She’s definitely more versatile than either of them when it comes to fashion. 

“If you want to listen to country, you can drive next time. Plus, it doesn’t matter how pretty you are, Julie would break up with us if we pulled up to her dad’s house blasting ‘Big Green Tractor.’” 

Reggie gasps in mock offense, as if the words  _ next time _ and  _ pretty _ don’t make him lightheaded. 

“Okay, the harmony in that song is awesome, and if it wasn’t such a transparent euphemism, it would actually be kind of sweet. And you knew the name! I’m corrupting our king of rock.” 

“He drops the name in the chorus!” Luke protests, but the truth spills red in his cheeks.

When Julie comes bounding down the driveway, Reggie is getting out to catch her in a tight embrace before he even registers what he’s doing or what she looks like. 

She’s stunning, of course, clad in a soft yellow sweater that bunches under his fingers. He drops a kiss on the tip of her nose before releasing her, asking if they can get a twirl. 

Julie’s hair streams all around her as she complies, a wild waterfall of curls. Some of it’s tied away from her face in small braids and clips. 

Luke and Reggie both cheer, and she shushes them with a good-natured eyeroll and a smile. 

“Why is Luke driving your truck?” 

“Because it’s sexy,” Reggie replies, partially because it is and partially to make him blush again. 

Julie, never one to pass on an opportunity to fluster Luke, immediately agrees, and he busies himself by flipping the center console up into a third seat. 

Still smiling, Julie tugs Reggie’s wrist, urging him to climb in right after her as he waves enthusiastically to Ray, who’s leaning in the doorway. 

It’s a pretty solid move on her part, because Reggie sometimes talks to him for hours on end. 

Luke kisses Julie’s cheek, and they all wave to Ray as they’re backing out. 

Reggie sticks his head out of the window and cups his hands around his mouth. 

“I love you!” he yells, unashamed to admit it to the entire neighborhood. 

Julie leans over him to add a “what he said,” voice warbling with laughter. 

The rest of the drive to the café is spent belting out their favorite rock songs, even the instrumental parts, and Reggie makes a mental note to tell Alex that he would absolutely kill the drummer’s part of “25 or 6 to 4.” 

Deja vu engulfs Reggie as they settle into a booth, with Julie on his left and Luke on his right, startlingly familiar and warm like his leather jacket. 

“Why am I always in the middle?” he ponders out loud. 

Luke plucks at Reggie’s sleeve in response, and Julie giggles, grabbing his hands to rub some circulation into them. 

“You always get so cold, honey,” she explains, dark eyes dancing with fondness. 

Oh.  _ Oh _ . The realization sends an electric jolt straight to his heart like a telegram—WE LOVE YOU AND WE ALWAYS HAVE, STOP. 

“Can someone please give me some water?” Reggie begs. 

He doesn’t want to cry in the middle of this café, but he doesn’t want to let go of Julie’s hands, either. 

Thankfully, this is one of those classy places where they bring you a pitcher of water right away. Luke pours a glass and brings it to Reggie’s lips. 

It seems to do the trick, and Reggie is able to swallow his tears. 

God, he’s so lucky to be an active part of their solar system, a cosmic wonder that makes him feel infinite. 

“I love you too,” Reggie whispers.

Maybe he’ll save all of the space imagery for a song.

Julie continues to work her fingers in small circles, and Luke loops his and Reggie’s arms together, resting his head against Reggie’s for a moment. 

Spending time with them feels so natural, but this is their first official date, which still carries the thrill of something new. Having both of them here creates a perfect balance.

They keep singing other songs over the pop drifting in the background, but without Julie, Reggie and Luke wouldn’t think about volume control until they got kicked out. 

Without Luke there, Reggie knows he would lose track of time and probably keep Julie out all night, drowning in the chocolate rivers of her bright eyes. 

Things are awesome until Reggie and Julie realize that Luke has been in the bathroom for a while. They share an uneasy look, and Reggie offers to check on him. 

“Call if you need me,” Julie tells him firmly, and he nods, running a hand through his hair. 

A few guys are milling around in the bathroom, and some of them definitely walk out without washing their hands. Reggie wrinkles his nose, giving them a wide berth as he scans the room.

It takes him a moment to find Luke—he has so much personality that Reggie often forgets that he’s technically short, and it’s strange to see anyone towering over him. 

The other guy exudes ‘douchey gym rat’ vibes with his sweatshirt and Bermuda shorts combo. He’s blocking Luke’s way, leering as he leans into his personal space. 

Luke glares defiantly at the larger man, jaw clenched. His hands are bunched into fists, and if he tilts his head, a flurry of blows will follow. 

For a split second, Reggie’s paralyzed, but then Luke catches his eyes and that asshole takes advantage of the distraction, shoving Luke against the stall door and pinning him there.

Roaring fills Reggie’s ears, the furious howling of his mammalian brain, and he’s yanking them off and away from Luke without a second thought, much like how he used to pluck leeches from his ankles after wading in the lake on his grandmother’s farm. 

Reggie hurls the gym rat across the room, and his back hits the counter. His face spasms as surprise and anger war there, making an already unpleasant dude even uglier. 

“Don’t touch him,” Reggie commands, voice plunging to icy depths, “or anyone that doesn’t want your greasy hands all over them, for that matter.” 

“What, some punk twink thinks he's gonna stop me?” Gym Rat sneers. “Why don’t you go back to holding hands with your filthy little beard?” 

“They’re my partners, you ignorant asswipe,” he retorts as he approaches, bringing his right arm up as if he’s going to attempt a slap or a punch. 

Gym Rat falls for it, and Reggie makes use of his bony kneecap by burying it in Gym Rat’s groin when he grabs Reggie’s hand. Gym Rat goes down immediately, curling up on the floor, and Reggie wipes his hand on his jeans. 

“I suggest you leave before we call the police,” Reggie continues, “since sexual harassment is a violation of civil rights in the state of California.* Or maybe I could take your phone and tell your mother? I’m sure she’d appreciate an account of your scumbag behavior.” 

Luke comes over to Reggie’s side, cracking his knuckles. Gym Rat evidently doesn’t like his odds so much anymore, and he scuttles out of the room as best he can.

Once he’s gone, Reggie takes a deep breath. Luke wraps him up in his arms and he almost collapses, shaking with the dregs of fury and the rush of relief.

“Are you okay?” they both ask as they break apart, though they don’t go very far.

Reggie nods. Luke cups his face before drawing him into a searing kiss that leaves him gasping. 

“That was pretty hot, Reg,” Luke whispers, and Reggie shivers. 

“Pretty dumb, more like,” he says, valiantly ignoring the animalistic impulse to reclaim Luke right here. “It’s not like you needed my help. You could’ve pulverized that jerk.” 

Luke shrugs. “Maybe, but my way would’ve been a lot messier. I can’t believe that guy called you a punk as if it’s an insult. Standing up for what you believe in is rad as hell, man.” 

“I’m pretty sure he called me a ‘punk twink,’ actually,” Reggie responds dryly, “although I probably wouldn’t mind if you called me that,” he admits, face flushing. 

This leads to several minutes of making out in a bathroom stall, but in Reggie’s defense, Luke usually helps him with his time-blindness. 

Eventually, Julie barges into the men’s room to demand an explanation, with several confused guys trailing in her wake. Everyone else must’ve fled from the scene of confrontation earlier— Reggie hadn’t exactly been paying much attention to that particular detail.

She urges them out of the café before they can potentially get banned, starting the long trek to the nearest parking lot. 

“It’s fine, I already paid. You can explain on the way, please, this place has good hot chocolate.” 

Her smile is scary as they describe what happened, tight-lipped like she’s trying to restrain the blade of her tongue. A street vendor pivots with their cart before they can cross paths, and others scurry out of their way. 

“I knew there was something off about that guy,” she finally spits, “me cago en na**, he threw me the dirtiest look as he was leaving. I’m glad you guys are okay, though.” 

“More than okay, Jules,” Luke reassures, “that part may have sucked, but I still had a good time.” 

He leans around Julie to wink at Reggie, who thinks  _ fuck it _ and winks back. 

“You guys are insufferable,” Julie sighs. 

“Yeah, but you love us,” Reggie says.

Her smile has settled into something more genuine and purely Julie. 

“Yeah,” she agrees softly, “I do.” 

**Author's Note:**

> *Unfortunately, sexual harassment laws don’t actually cover much outside of the workplace.  
> **From what I remember, this basically means damn or shit, please correct me if I’m wrong. 
> 
> Title Credit: [Like That](https://open.spotify.com/track/6FxIFdX1jeJYwPozaeqaZj?si=B5ICzH38TcaTU8xEEKxvLw) by Stand Atlantic


End file.
